Rangers reinstatement to SPFL doesn't open door to European competition.

Scottish Second Division Rangers may have attained full membership of the Scottish Professional Football League and regained voting rights on issues affecting the new organization, but "their new status won’t affect their European exile," according to Ewing Grahame of the SCOTSMAN. Even if Rangers win the Scottish Cup next season, there "will be no Europa League slot for them, a direct result of not having published audited accounts." Rangers last did that in June '10. UEFA rules stipulate that any club wishing to compete in Europe "must be able to have provided these details over a three-year period." A Scottish FA spokesperson said, "Rangers can’t compete in Europe for three seasons" (SCOTSMAN, 7/1).

WHYTE INVESTIGATED: In Edinburgh, Keith McLeod reported government fraud investigators "are probing" Owner Craig Whyte’s takeover of Rangers. Officials from the Insolvency Service believe that "they have found clear evidence of fraud by the disgraced businessman." The investigators "have been interviewing senior figures involved in the Ibrox deal." The probe "is the surest sign yet that Whyte will face criminal charges and a lifetime’s ban from being a company director" (DAILY RECORD, 7/1).

The Doncaster Belles "has lost its appeal" to retain its place in the re-structured English Women's Super League. The FA has re-assigned clubs to leagues according to various license criteria, rather than performance on the sporting field. The FA said the reason the club was not offered a FA WSL1 license "was the failure to meet minimum facility requirements," alongside concerns "regarding their commercial and marketing strategies" (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 7/1). ... Indonesian magnate Erick Thohir is due to buy 40% of Inter Milan. President Massimo Moratti confirmed that "talks with Thohir were progressing" (FOOTBALL ITALIA, 6/30).